Unfairness

1 Thessolonians 5:24 "The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it”

How many of you have been overlooked for a position time and time again, always seeing someone less qualified than you getting the promotion? You were committed, qualified, and more experienced, but never got that break you were expecting. Some would say you make your own breaks, but others just have things handed to them on a silver platter. It's in those times you wonder why the road seems to be so hard for you.

If this has happened to you, you know how painful it can be. You may have been down this road several times and you can tell you it doesn’t seem to get any easier. But along the way, you learn some special things. If God puts a call or desire in your heart, He will be faithful to do it through you. However, He may want you to expand your horizons in order to bring this dream to fruition.

God has put many dreams in peoples' hearts and He will help them to fulfill those dreams. Sometimes it takes a lot longer than you thought it would, but He will come through. God puts a dream in people to reach others throughout their lives and will faithfully provide the resources to do so.

Here's something good to remember. It's not original, but it seems to apply to those wondering why God has seemingly forgotten them when it comes to promotion: "It's not your job to change everyone’s mind. It is your job to obey and do whatever He is calling you to do. Keep yielded to Him and open the door to others, free in your spirit from any feelings of rejection or bitterness. Obey God and let Him take care of the results. It will eventually become clear to everyone that God has His hand on you.”

Sometimes life doesn’t seem fair. Perhaps God is using this “unfairness” to push you out of your comfort zone to show you He has something new and exciting for you to do. Why not ask Him? Ask God to show you other horizons where you can make your dream come true. Be strong and courageous. God will supply your needs.

Make The Choice

Are you someone who has suffered emotionally or perhaps physically at the hands of others? Have emotions such as anger, resentment, hate, hostility, bitterness and revenge entered your heart and mind? Have you become filled with an unforgiving spirit? Unforgiveness can be a hidden culprit. It can make you a prisoner within yourself.

When an unforgiving spirit lives inside you, it isn’t bothering those who have wronged you. They’ve gone on their way; but, if you are still holding onto something that has taken control of your thoughts, actions and words. It eats away at you like a cancer, and you find yourself bound, with no peace. In reality, you are punishing yourself.

To forgive in your own power becomes futile, because your heart must first be cleansed of all that the things that unforgiveness creates. Only Jesus can make that happen. He laid down His life and shed His blood to give us the gift of salvation and clean up our hearts. Through Him, there is freedom and victory.

Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  in Matthew 11:28. Isn’t rest what we long for when filled with the torture of an unforgiving spirit?

Cast your care upon Him. Let Him do the cleansing. Let Him take that unforgiving spirit out of your heart and give you a new heart with a forgiving spirit. Again Jesus said in Matthew 6:14, 15: "If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will forgive you. If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses."

That may seem harsh. But why shouldn’t God expect you to forgive those who have offended you, when He has forgiven you of so much more? Choosing to forgive, is a choice of your will. When you make that choice your heart is then open and ready for the Lord’s cleansing. Choosing not to forgive, is also a choice of your will. But the door of your heart is then shut and God will not do His cleansing work.

Because God

-Because God is personal spirit I will seek intimate fellowship with Him.    

-Because God is all-powerful He can help me with anything.

-Because God is ever-present He is always with me.

-Because God knows everything I will go to Him with all my questions and concerns.    

-Because God is sovereign I will joyfully submit to His will.

-Because God is holy I will devote myself to Him in purity, worship and service.

-Because God is absolute truth I will believe what He says and live accordingly.

-Because God is righteous I will live by His standards.

-Because God is just He will treat me fairly.

-Because God is love He is unconditionally committed to my well being.    

-Because God is merciful He forgives me of my sins when I sincerely confess them.

-Because God is faithful I will trust Him to always keep His promises.

-Because God never changes my future is secure and eternal.

Clinging To His Hand

Joshua 23:8 AMP "But cling to the Lord your God...”

When I was about 4 years old I was with my aunt and uncle in Robinson's Toy Store in North Charleston. Back in the 50's things were not like they are today, but I strayed away from them in the store. I was fascinated by the toys and just reached up without looking to grab my aunts' hand. To my surprise it wasn't my aunt! I grabbed the hand of a stranger, who was just as startled as I was. Luckily my aunt was close by and came running when she saw my predicament. Needless to say, I didn't let go of her hand the rest of the time and she didn't let go of mine.

I have learned as a Christian about clinging to the hand of the Lord in the good times and bad. God won't let go of your hand, but you have to be willing to cling to His.

-You have to open your arms and/or hands first.
You can’t cling to Him with your arms crossed or slack, or if your hands are clenched. He is there to carry you, but you have to trust Him and hang on.

-When you are clinging to Him, you go where He is going and fit into His way.

It's like the old song we sang as children, "When we all pull together." When you are holding His hand you don't manipulate Him. He is the director and the author and finisher of your faith.

-He invites us to cling to Him.
He is the strong One. We chose whether to cling to Him or go through life alone. It's the same hand that flung the stars into space and caresses a sparrow when it falls.

Are you clinging to the Lord or have you been going it alone? It is lonely and frightening with out someone to cling to. He is strong and mighty in battle and can reach farther down than you can reach up. Grab ahold of His hand and you will never regret it!

Deadly Beasts

1 Peter 5:6-10 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him firm in your faith and the God of all grace will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

Mike Woodard tells the story about a friend hunting elk in the northern wilderness of British Columbia hunting. He and his hunting buddy were positioned on a hill over looking hundreds of acres of range. Suddenly in the distance they spotted four adult grizzly bears charging down a ridge toward them. Fear gripped their hearts. There was no point in running; there was no place to hide or to find safety. The only hope was to stand their ground and do all they could hoping the bears would never reach them. They knew, even with high powered rifles the odds of dispatching four adult Grizzlies was slim. In the seconds it took to form a plan the bears disappeared into thicket just below them. They only had about a 20 meter window from the thicket to their position. The plan was to make as much noise, yelling and screaming to hopefully spook the bears. In the minutes that followed they could smell the stench of the bears. After exhausting their vocal cords and every ounce of adrenaline they stopped and waited. The bears never came. They must have entered the thicket and proceeded down the creek bed to the valley below.

When I read this story it occurred to me, “What are the deadly beasts I hope never reach me? What are the things that would destroy my life? The list included some of the big destroyers: adultery, addictions to alcohol or pornography, love of money and possessions. There are some more subtle ones like pride, bitterness, laziness and jealousy. What are yours? The real question is what am I doing to make sure they never reach me?

There are four things you can do to protect yourself from these deadly predators:

-First, identify what they are. They will be different or each person. You personally the things that you fear the most will destroy you. Too many believers have fallen to creatures they fail to identify.

-Second, don’t put yourself in harms way. People that play with fire get burned. Are your activities pushing you toward danger?  If so, then change them. Don't allow them to push you closer to the edge.

-Third, draw on God’s wisdom by spending time in reading the Bible and in prayer. Spiritual refreshing multiplies your ability to ward off the enemy.

-Fourth, realize there is a real spiritual battle you have to fight consistently. You can't serve Him on Sunday and reject Him on Monday. The devil knows your weakness and will make every excuse in the book to attack you with it. Make up your mind you're in this battle to win.

What Are You Standing On?

2 Timothy 3:16 NIV "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

What are you standing on to make your decisions about what is right and wrong? Everybody has something that they use to help them decide if it is right to do something. Politicians use popularity polls to direct their campaigns. Actors and actresses are not considered marketable if their movies don't do well at the box office. When they are in a slump, the decision is made for them by the studio. Corporations make decisions based on the upward or downward turn of the graph line on a Profit and Loss Report. Many people use popular opinion of their friends or the media.

All of these things can vary depending on who you talk to, or the place or time you are living. Opinions vary. Sometimes the same source will change its mind concerning a topic and give the opposite advice at a later time. What do you use to stand on for your decisions? Many people are living miserable lives because they are confused about what guidelines to use for their life decisions. God gives us a sure foundation that is unchanging and eternal, which is the Bible.

God tells us that the written Word He has given us is "God-breathed," which means that the Bible was inspired by Him. Timothy explains how valuable God's inspired Word is to us for teaching and instructing, reproof when someone has done something wrong, correction to restore someone to the right state, and training in righteousness, which is instruction with the aim to increase virtue.

See it in the Word:

Hebrews 4:12 exposes the thoughts and motives of a man's heart.

Psalm 1:1, 2 tells us what a person has to do to be blessed.

Psalm 119:165 tells us what two things someone has if they love God's law.

Matthew 24:35 tells us His Word will never pass away.

So, what are you standing on? Make a decision today to find out what God says in the Bible and choose to live by it. Do you have a plan for reading the Bible? Why not make a plan today to start reading God's Word. It has never been influenced by popular opinion! Have a standard that never changes and will never pass away.

Whatever You Do

Are you troubled by things you’ve done, by what you’ve said to people, or by what people have said to you? Are your words typically supportive, or do you find yourself often critical and hostile? 

Remember Colossians 3:17 says, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks unto God and the Father by Him.” 

When you speak or act in a way that you know in your heart to be wrong, you pay for it with your emotions. You chip away at your own self respect. One of the most important principles that you can apply to your life is that your mental health is in your control. You are the one who must choose how you respond to individuals and situations in your life that are less than perfect. You might say, "If only this person would change, then all these wonderfully warm friendly qualities would be released in me." Not true. Nobody can cause you to be angry, stubborn, immovable, inflexible, and easily irritable. Your behavior is determined by your spirit, and your spirit involves you and God. It’s a unique relationship. It has nothing to do with anyone else.

Paul said in Romans 13:1, 2: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers for there is no power but of God and the powers that are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resists the power resists the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive unto themselves damnation.”

The NIV puts it in a gentler way – “will bring judgment on themselves.” You see, your behavior makes a difference to you.

Don’t allow yourself to drift away from allowing the Lord to fill your heart with His Spirit day by day. Nobody can stop you from calling on God to fill you with His love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, and patience. Do what you’re doing and saying in His Name, as though He was right there with you. Let Him help you feel the relief of walking through life with a thankful spirit.

Again in Philippians 2:2-4 Paul tells us to, "Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than themselves."

Becoming pre-occupied with the negative qualities of anyone or anything in your life causes you to lose sight of good things. Jesus laid down His life for you. He has chosen to put the emphasis on your spiritual life. He has chosen to give you of His Spirit, and to make your burden light. He gives you the ability to honor him in all that you do and say.